2015 weber shandwick corporate citizenship report

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER WORLD2015 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP REPORT

3 A LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

4 ABOUT WEBER SHANDWICK 5 About Us5 Guiding Principles5 About This Report

7 ENGAGING THE ENVIRONMENT 9 Environmental Policy10 Operations 12 Engagement & Awareness14 Compliance & Beyond

17 EMPOWERING OUR PEOPLE & OUR BUSINESS 19 Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion 20 Engaging in Partnerships That Matter27 Creating an Inclusive & Collaborative Culture

30 MAKING AN IMPACT 32 Thought Leadership40 Creating Positive Change With Our Clients64 The Impact Project

78 2015 AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

2015 was an important year for the global movement for positive social change. We witnessed the endorsement of 17 new UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, setting a 15-year path for action to advance solutions to poverty, climate change, injustice and inequality, and more. We also saw the adoption of an ambitious global climate deal at the Paris climate conference (COP21).

At Weber Shandwick, we see significant opportunities to contribute to social progress by leveraging what we do best. With a commitment to collaboration and innovation, we create big ideas and daring work that helps clients raise awareness, engagement and impact across a broad set of critical business and social issues. We’re particularly proud to be engaged with corporate, foundation and nonprofit clients on more than 150 assignments linked to each of the UN Global Goals.

GAIL HEIMANN President

ANDY POLANSKY Chief Executive Officer

JACK LESLIE Chairman

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIPTABLE OF CONTENTSA LETTER FROM OUR

We think carefully about our impact across a global network spanning more than 80 countries. From fine-tuning our operations to minimise our environmental impact, to fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment internally as well as within our industry, we are encouraged by our progress. Through our global Impact Project, we’re focusing on pro bono partnerships aimed at closing the opportunity gap to help people around the world achieve their potential and live more prosperous lives.

Fundamentally, we’re about people. And we’re energised by the ways our diverse, global network of smart, creative people are applying their passion, dedication and ideas every day in partnership with clients to create work that furthers clients’ goals — and contributes to a brighter future. It’s a core demonstration of our “engaging, always.” mission, and we’re proud to share our progress in this report.

32015 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP REPORT

Weber Shandwick is one of the world’s leading global communications and engagement firms. We believe the only way to deliver work that defies convention is to break with it. That’s why we have defied the “status quo” to create a new kind of engagement firm for the hyper-connected, ultra-transparent, globalised marketplace of the new engagement era.

Weber Shandwick has moved beyond the classic boundaries of discipline and geography to help our clients out-perform. We are breaking through traditional service lines to integrate social, digital, content, publishing, advertising, PR, corporate reputation and public affairs into solutions that drive business results.

Our global organisation brings the full power of Weber Shandwick to every client through borderless access to resources, an ecosystem of specialty engagement agency brands and a diverse group of the best talent on the planet. Our specialised team of strategists, analysts, producers, designers, developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and impactful work.

We are committed to delivering unconventional thinking and a culture of collaboration that drives the best outcomes for our clients and great opportunities for our people.

And we are, foremost, committed to be “engaging, always.”

At Weber Shandwick, we believe in creating shared value across our global network and beyond — our clients and partners, our employees, the communities in which we operate and society as a whole. That is why we instill the ethos of responsible citizenship in all of our global operations.

Our corporate social responsibility is guided by our deep commitment to make a positive impact through our businesses, pro bono activities and individual employee volunteerism.

In all of our corporate citizenship endeavors, we adhere to fundamental principles. Weber Shandwick seeks to:

Minimise our environmental footprint and promote sustainability

Foster a diverse, inclusive and collaborative environment

Partner with clients who are passionate about contributing to social good

ABOUT US GUIDING PRINCIPLES

We are proud to present Weber Shandwick’s fourth annual Corporate Citizenship Report in the pages that follow, featuring the work that the firm and its employees have done to positively impact the environment, communities and clients throughout 2015. This year, we continued our efforts to align with best practices in reporting by using the G4 Index as set forth by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a client, as a framework for reporting on sustainability issues material to our business, as determined through dialogue with key stakeholders. Please see our GRI Disclosure Index on webershandwick.com. We want to hear from you, and we invite you to tell us what you think at [email protected].

ABOUT THIS REPORT

ABOUT WEBER SHANDWICK


mailto:[email protected]

7

ENGAGING THE ENVIRONMENT


Weber Shandwick seeks to minimize its impact on the environment and continually improve its environmental performance.

OPERATIONSWe aim to minimise the environmental impact of our operations and prevent pollution. Since operations are largely office-based, this includes (but is not limited to) minimising consumption of resources like water and energy, maximising the efficiency of our resource use, and minimising and responsibly dealing with waste.

We will manage our procurement function and supply chain proactively and in such a way as to deliver environmental benefits alongside financial ones.

ENGAGEMENT & AWARENESSWe will raise awareness among our employees of environmental issues and the ways in which their actions can make an impact on the environment.

We will engage a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee to set, review and deliver our environmental targets and objectives.

We will respond to the environmental concerns raised by our clients, insofar as it is practicable.

COMPLIANCE & BEYONDWe will comply with all applicable legal environmental requirements and industry standards.

We strive to go beyond compliance through our ISO 14001 and LEED certifications as well as continually seeking to improve our environmental performance.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY


The SEATTLE office consumed 11% less electricity per month, on average, compared to 2014. Seattle also moved to 100% compostables for all disposable utensils, plates and cups.

At Prime in STOCKHOLM, all paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, batteries and recyclable cans are sorted in specified collection bins. Recycling is collected by an ISO 9001 certified recycling contractor, which only uses biogas operated vehicles and electric cars.

OPERATIONSKey to Weber Shandwick’s corporate citizenship is achieving a smaller environmental footprint around the world. To realise this goal, our internal operations follow four core sustainability objectives:

Minimising consumption (e.g., water, energy, etc.)

Maximising efficiency of resource use

Reducing waste and its environmental impact

Proactively managing our procurement and supply chain

Weber Shandwick’s sustainability goals are advanced through our CSR and Environmental Committees, who proactively seek suppliers of green products and only lease new spaces that follow comprehensive recycling practices.

Among our highest-impact initiatives is the management of our downstream e-waste.

33% of our computers are decommissioned and recycled every year.

Additionally, Weber Shandwick works with Carbonfund.org to purchase carbon offset certificates for our non-billable airline travel.

IN 2013 & 2014, the offset was approximately 3,000 metric tons of emissions.

IN THE U.S.

Whenever possible, the BRUSSELS office now only uses bike couriers to deliver express mail and packages within the city.

The HONG KONG office minimises its environmental impact by using green packaging, earth-friendly office supplies and recycling electronic products. The office also purchases locally-sourced coffee and selects sustainable, shark fin-free seafood for events.

At Weber Shandwick LOS ANGELES, batteries, toner cartridges and electronic waste are recycled. Multiuse bags are provided to all employees. A double-sided printing policy means less paper is used, and only low VOC paint and dry carpet cleaning methods are applied.

Weber Shandwick MINNEAPOLIS collaborates with organisations on recycling initiatives, including the HopeLine program, led by Verizon, our client, which refurbishes wireless phones for domestic abuse groups. The office also collected used plastic gift cards for Earthworks, a service that recycles cards for reuse as credit, membership or gift cards.

IN 2015, Weber Shandwick offset nearly 3,200 metric tons of CO2 emissions.


ENGAGEMENT & AWARENESSThe hallmark of our business is the dedication and passion that our employees demonstrate, working together, each and every day. Nowhere is our collaborative culture more apparent than in the enthusiasm employees bring to our corporate sustainability objectives. Green awareness and engagement have become standard practice across our global network, moving us toward an informed understanding of our impact and inspiring us to positively shape our environment.

CSR & ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEESSince environmental responsibility has become a priority within our firm, among our clients as well as at an international level, Weber Shandwick has established a system of prioritising our sustainability activities in order to maximise our results. Guiding us is a set of in-house working groups across our offices, which define and drive our environmental stewardship.

The CSR Committee in North America and Environmental Committee in the U.K. establish and implement environmental management policies containing standards and milestones that are disseminated across our network. Committees are comprised of top-level managers who review and set objectives for environmental improvements at the company. At Prime, a Weber Shandwick company in Sweden, the team has also formulated a policy focused on transportation, offices, purchasing and external advice in order to reduce environmental impact. The policy is led by the CEO, Bureau Chief and Office Manager, in addition to day-to-day responsibilities for all employees.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING & COMMUNICATIONIn order to imbue the green mindset that has contributed to our success so far, Weber Shandwick offers environmental awareness training at new employee orientations. Information on our green management system is available on the firm’s global intranet, MyWeberShandwick, and employee-wide emails share our progress against specific objectives.

GREEN TEAMSIn 2015, Green Teams from Weber Shandwick offices provided leadership to ensure our compliance with ISO 14001 certification requirements and to customize efforts to achieve even greater operational efficiencies at a local level. Their collaborative initiative produced impressive results for their communities.

SAN FRANCISCO During California’s drought crisis, Weber Shandwick offered employees monthly SAVE WATER reminders and tips. The office also arranged for a resource recovery company, Recology, to speak to our team and the other tenants in our building on how we could REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE to help the city of San Francisco reach its goal of ZERO Waste by 2020. Additionally, the office organized a Goodwill/Eco-Drive donation as well as an SF-Marin Food Bank donation drop off.

CHICAGO Throughout the summer, the office participated in the Chicago Lights Urban Farm, which employs and benefits local at-risk youth. Located just a few blocks away, Weber Shandwick employees had the opportunity to plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables, and learn sustainable farming techniques. The produce harvested in the Weber Shandwick plot was donated and sold at the Chicago Lights Farm Stand. Proceeds were funneled straight back into funding educational programs.

LOS ANGELES Each Weber Shandwick employee was gifted a soup bowl and cup for Earth Day in order to reduce paper and plastic in the office. Additionally, our colleagues participated in a “Green Team Community Service Day” where office employees volunteered at a local food bank and helped reduce food waste.

WASHINGTON, D.C. The D.C. office continues to work closely with Turtle Wings to recycle all old computer and electronic equipment. In March 2015, over 300 pieces of equipment including laptops, PCs, printers, monitors, hard drives and other miscellaneous items were recycled. Turtle Wings is ISO 14001 certified and has an Integrated Environmental Health Safety Management (R2 Registration) system in place.

SWEDEN Prime’s Sustainability Affairs team consists of consultants with special expertise in the environment, sustainability and EU law and with varied backgrounds in politics, government agencies, the business community and media. It is focused on maintaining the highest standards on the market. In 2015, the team collaborated with WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature, to promote the Climate Savers Program in Sweden — a program engaging the private sector in climate and energy issues to increase awareness of the initiative in Sweden and attract more major Swedish companies to join the cause.


COMPLIANCE & BEYONDWe are proud of our ISO 14001 and LEED certifications — internationally recognised systems of environmental management, design and evaluation. Our London office was the first in our network to receive its ISO 14001 certification in 2007, followed by our U.S. offices in 2008, making Weber Shandwick one of the first multi-office PR agencies in the U.S. to achieve this milestone.In 2015, Weber Shandwick continued its commitment to sustainable construction practices and products, most notably with the continued build-outs of its new LEED spaces in Minneapolis and Dallas. Other achievements to date include:

Weber Shandwick has achieved or is in the process of achieving LEED certification for 50% of its offices in North America, making up 65% of the region’s total headcount.

Approximately 70% of employees in North America will be in LEED space when Weber Shandwick’s Minneapolis and Dallas offices are certified in 2016.

Weber Shandwick requires all new North American leases to provide electricity sub-metering to incentivize tenant-driven energy efficiency.

Weber Shandwick Germany was CSR certified by EcoVadis and received a Silver medal for its activities.


EMPOWERING OUR PEOPLE & OUR BUSINESS

172015 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP REPORT 172015 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP REPORT

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) are universal values at Weber Shandwick. We are at our best when we work collaboratively, originating and executing innovative ideas that come from colleagues with a wide range of backgrounds who are empowered to excel at their passions.

We recognise that the world is becoming increasingly diverse, and the issues facing our clients ever more complex. The best way we have found to meet these opportunities is to reflect the diversity around us. Weber Shandwick fosters greater levels of diversity in our workforce to ensure that our work is fresh and bold, to attract and retain the brightest talent, and to boost the bench strength of our industry’s future leaders.

We are genuinely committed to excelling at inclusion. We recognise the many ways that make us unique: from professional background, political views, socioeconomics, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion and gender identity — and we are committed to weaving these attributes into our culture at every level and in every area of practice.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be recognised as a leader in diversity and inclusion. In 2015, we were honored with the PRWeek/PR Council Diversity Distinction in PR Award for the third time in the five years of the program’s existence. We were also recognised with the PR News Diversity in PR Award. Diversity and inclusion leader, Judith Harrison, was conferred the PR News Diversity in PR Award in the individual category.

Our offices around the world have well-established programmatic support of D&I goals designed to drive our achievement of internal benchmarks. We work toward these goals by partnering with diversity-focused professional and student organisations to expand the pipeline of talent, providing development opportunities for diverse employees, increasing internal engagement and support for D&I, and positioning Weber Shandwick as a D&I thought leader to promote the agency as an employer of choice.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION


ENGAGING IN PARTNERSHIPS THAT MATTERWeber Shandwick values its ongoing partnerships with leading organisations that are working at the forefront of diversity and inclusion. We engage with multicultural groups and foundations to enhance D&I within our company as well as the communications industry.


Weber Shandwick sponsored the 4A’s The Face of Talent event showcasing diverse college seniors and graduates that comprise the association’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP). We were able to review qualifications from 62 potential recruits spanning numerous disciplines and hired an intern for summer 2016.

Weber Shandwick sponsored the second China Pink Market Conference in Shanghai, an important forum for FORTUNE 500 companies, advertising firms and communications agencies that are interested in marketing to China’s LGBT community. The firm partnered with WorkForLGBT, a nonprofit business network focused on LGBT workplace and market issues, in cooperation with market research firm YouGov, websites and dating apps Danlan/Blued and the L, and over 20 other sponsors across China. At the conference, findings from a survey of LGBT consumers, LGBT Community Report, were also released with Weber Shandwick’s assistance. This breakthrough study of China’s LGBT market — representing over 18,000 respondents — is the most comprehensive to date, and provides an authoritative guide for companies on how best to serve this market.

Weber Shandwick sponsored the ColorComm Conference in 2015, committing a 13-person planning committee across multiple offices over two months to create a social/digital media theme to anchor the conference. ColorComm provides opportunities for women of color in all aspects of the communications industry and organises a networking and professional development conference annually.

Weber Shandwick’s involvement with the 2015 conference was extensive. The team created a GoLive broadcast featuring interviews with author and social activist Gloria Steinem, journalist and TV host Lisa Ling, and Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the first black female president of Spelman College. The broadcast garnered more than 126,300 views. Weber Shandwick also hosted a social media lounge throughout the conference, fielded a thought leadership panel — The Evolution of Social Media and Its Impact on Influencer and Consumer Engagement — featuring colleagues from across the country, held “tech tastings” to demonstrate tech innovations and how trendsetting brands are using them, and brought 15 women from seven offices to participate in the conference.

The conference contributed to our own recruitment initiatives. Prior to the event, our offices reviewed information for 300+ registered guests for potential employment consideration. The high-profile event was widely praised, resulted in new and strengthened relationships with influential diverse candidates, and achieved an unprecedented level of internal engagement in D&I.


Each year, Prime handles all junior recruitments through a Prime and United Minds recruitment day. Normally held in October or November, the campaign kicks off in June with extensive marketing on job boards, social media, LinkedIn, newsletters, direct mail and other channels. Recent efforts to increase diversity among applicants include: reaching out to over 50 ethnic organizations to market the recruitment day through their newsletters, and teaming up with a specialised recruitment agency geared toward qualified candidates of non-Swedish origin to ensure our message reaches a wider audience. Job postings are also made available on EURES and the Swedish national job mediation agency, Arbetsförmedlingen. Non-Swedish speaking applicants are encouraged to apply. The Stockholm School of Economics has launched a Rapid Acceleration Management Program to increase diversity in Swedish industry by integrating newly arrived refugees who are university graduates. Prime has set a recruitment goal of hiring one RAMP graduate each year.

In 2014, Weber Shandwick connected the PRSA Foundation and the PR Council to the United Negro College Fund to establish the PRIME (Public Relations Internship, Mentoring and Education) program with the objective of driving diversity in PR by recruiting students from historically black colleges and universities. The program was piloted in Atlanta in 2015 with 15 sponsors, including American Express, Prudential, Wells Fargo, Coca-Cola, GE, Univision and multiple PR agencies. Weber Shandwick hired two interns from the program and is seeking more for 2016. We also hired the winner of the first Ofield Dukes scholarship, which we created and funded with the PRSA, as an entry-level employee.

Weber Shandwick continued its sponsorship of the Ron Brown Scholar Program in 2015, including our Chairman Jack Leslie’s role as the Chair of the Board of Trustees. Judith Harrison remained on the advisory board, and Ade Sawyer again served as president of the Alumni Association. Weber Shandwick participated in the Leaders Summit, Alumni Reunion and hired a Ron Brown Scholar to join our Healthcare practice.

Robert Aras, partner at Prime in Sweden, is responsible for diversity in the Swedish Association of Communications Agencies (KOMM), aiming to improve competency within this area in the Swedish communications sector. Robert was also a jury member of Guldvågen 2015, Sweden’s first prize awarding gender equality in companies within communications. Moreover, Prime was acknowledged as Sweden’s most gender-balanced communications agency (size 75–120 employees) in 2014 by Swedish industry magazine Resumé.

Weber Shandwick augmented our partnership with The LAGRANT Foundation (TLF) by hosting local career workshops in multiple cities and extending our joint Straight Talk panel event series, which provides opportunities for diverse young women to discuss communications careers with senior women of color. Panels featured Weber Shandwick executives and outside speakers representing Kimberly-Clark, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Senator Cory Booker and the National Urban League, among others.

Year Up’s mission is to close the opportunity divide by providing urban young adults with skills, experience and support to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Weber Shandwick hired a Year Up intern for six months, then brought him on board as an employee in our Measurement & Analytics group, where he will work full-time while pursuing his college degree.


http://www.addgender.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Byr%C3%A5j%C3%A4mst%C3%A4lldhetsindex-2014-analysdokument.pdf

Weber Shandwick in Australia is focused on becoming an employer of choice and is working

to create a flexible and diverse working environment. To date, several achievements have contributed to a high staff retention rate: 100% of moms back from maternity leave were welcomed to part-time roles, 10% of employees were on flexible working arrangements to improve work-life balance, over one-third of employees benefited from global travel opportunities in the past 12 months, and the office also provided pro bono services to Australia’s first gay and inclusive Rugby Union club, The Sydney Convicts.

In Chicago, Weber Shandwick’s year-round awareness-building events include the “Common Grounds” speaker series on how changing

demographics affect marketing trends. Guest speakers in 2015 included Andrés Garcia, client partner, U.S. Multicultural at Facebook, and former Newsweek correspondent Karen Springen, journalism residency director at Medill Northwestern University.

In China, a Weber Shandwick executive spoke at “Executive Dialogue: The Business of

LGBT Inclusion in Asia,” an event sponsored by the United National Development Program, China and The Economist.

Weber Shandwick in Dallas holds in-house education forums on issues of diversity. During February — Black History Month —

the office hosted a Ferguson-inspired social justice conversation featuring the PBS documentary, “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.”

In Hong Kong, Weber Shandwick promotes a culture of collegiality. With employees coming

from many backgrounds — spanning different continents, languages, traditions and professional experience — the office encourages collaboration across all practice groups and levels. Cross-practice cooperation is aided by our office layout, which increases face-to-face interactions, as well as internal staff initiatives including peer forums offering professional support and mentorship, and in-house interest groups, such as our well-being and CSR committees.

Weber Shandwick in India supports gender equality through pro bono work for “Daughters of Mother

India,” a 2015 documentary that sparked a movement to change attitudes and laws surrounding sexual violence against women. This includes providing content strategy and communications, a PSA campaign featuring police officers, developing a TED talk on gender violence and participating in a run to raise awareness of gender violence.

In Scotland, Weber Shandwick received its first Investors

in Young People accreditation, in recognition of our company’s commitment to train and develop young people. A year-long training program for ambitious and diverse young adults was launched in 2015.

In South Africa, Weber Shandwick annually trains three interns from disadvantaged

backgrounds and on a full government intern program.

In Washington, D.C., Weber Shandwick hosted a Women’s Leadership Network Lunch & Learn with co-founder Ranny Cooper, president of Public

Affairs, for Interpublic agencies in the D.C./Northern Virginia area.

Weber Shandwick drives engagement in D&I through our 140-person Diversity Council in the U.S., which shares ideas and best practices to amplify nationally directed efforts, encourages increased D&I involvement among colleagues, and ensures that D&I efforts come alive locally. We have hired a dedicated diversity and inclusion director to focus on further building internal engagement and coordinating the Diversity Council’s efforts to maximise their impact and ensure alignment with business goals.

Weber Shandwick makes certain that inclusion and collaboration are also a priority throughout our global network. We are proud of the wide-ranging activities that our offices are spearheading worldwide.

CREATING AN INCLUSIVE & COLLABORATIVE CULTURE


http://webershandwick.scot/1116-2/

Diverse and inclusive teams are the gold standard in performance and innovation. Weber Shandwick’s global program to create an inclusive workplace is facilitated by a master class focused on unconscious bias. The Hidden Power of the Mind: Implicit Bias and What It Means for Weber Shandwick is a live, interactive session that uncovers the assumptions and unconscious biases that shape our judgments about people’s character, abilities and potential. These biases can cause an organisation to sacrifice innovation, creativity and connection. The class was first conducted with the global and North America leadership teams and will be rolled out through 2016 and beyond.

Weber Shandwick is also piloting internally-created interview training to standardise interviewing practices and move toward removing unconscious bias from the hiring process. We are also piloting internally-created management training highlighting inclusive management practices.

In the U.K., Weber Shandwick participates in the PRCA Diversity Network, where our group talent director partners with colleagues to educate about inclusion and attract more talent with ethnic diversity into the organisation for the EMEA region.

Weber Shandwick encourages participation in IPG MERGE (Multicultural Employee Resource Groups for Excellence), affinity networks of employees that work across multiple agencies in the network of Interpublic Group companies to support D&I. Groups include the Women’s Leadership Network (WLN, co-founded by a Weber Shandwick employee), the Black Employees Network (BEN), SOMOS (Hispanic Heritage), the Asian Heritage Group (AHG) and IPGLBT. Our executives, including CEO Andy Polansky, speak at meetings of these groups to maintain strong relationships and model the inclusive mindset critical to the agency’s success. Senior Vice President of Staffing and Diversity & Inclusion, Judith Harrison, leads a BEN mentoring circle.

Heritage months, including Black History, Hispanic History, Women’s History, Asia Pacific Heritage, Diversity and LGBT Pride, are celebrated in various offices.

Weber Shandwick Australia Managing Director, Ava Lawler, is also currently the executive sponsor of the IPG Women’s Leadership Network in Australia, which entails leading a group-wide initiative to help promote the advancement, retention and recruitment of women across the Interpublic Group network.

Weber Shandwick’s role has driven collaboration and information sharing across all agencies, and the initiation of high profile, inspirational events included over 130 attendees from across all IPG agencies.

D&I INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING IPG MERGE


MAKING AN IMPACT


Weber Shandwick has a strong tradition of uncovering important market trends ahead of the curve to inform the work we do as an agency and with our clients. As part of our CSR commitment, we have increased our intelligence efforts around exploring issues of diversity, sustainability, corporate responsibility and economic innovation. In 2015, Weber Shandwick engaged our research, advocacy and analytical experts to produce new ideas for addressing some of the world’s most important challenges and opportunities.

We believe that in order to participate in the conversation on creating positive social impact, we must use our critical thinking and creative resources to identify new insights that can inspire solutions — an integral part of our CSR agenda. We will continue to invest in our thought leadership by bringing together experts on global topics, conducting proprietary research and developing ideas that fuel practical solutions to the issues our clients and communities face.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NETWORKED SMART CITIES: How we source and scale innovations to ensure cities provide a vibrant, equitable, sustainable, livable environment for inhabitants.

ALWAYS-ON TRANSPARENCY: How forward-thinking organisations continually share the failures, lessons and insider perspectives behind impact results.

PURPOSE-DRIVEN DATA: How we realise the potential for better data analysis and insights that inform solutions and advances for society.

CONSCIOUS CROWDSOURCING: How organisations harness the expertise of those in the virtual network who are best equipped to solve a particular challenge.

INCLUSIVE GLOBAL ECONOMIES: How we can overcome the consequences of the global wealth imbalance to ensure access to health, education and opportunity for all.

Weber Shandwick’s Social Impact practice, a global team working at the intersection of corporate social responsibility, sustainability and social issues, launched the Innovation Trends Report series in 2015. The team created this resource to build awareness and fuel dialogue around the fast growing Solution Economy — multidisciplinary and collaborative efforts by companies, foundations, nonprofits and governments to solve complex social problems.

The first report in the series, Networked Smart Cities, provides context on the opportunities and challenges urban development in the 21st century presents to organisations and brands — and to our collective, shared impact. The report anticipates the macro forces of population growth, urbanisation and climate change to identify “smart” solutions and innovations that address social, environmental, logistical and economic challenges associated with increasingly crowded spaces and diminishing resources. Ultimately, the report puts forth an action plan to identify the right partnerships, communicate complex ideas to and among stakeholders, and engage the larger citizenry in campaigns that galvanise support and action at all levels.

The second report in the series, Always-On Transparency, explores the role of transparency in building trust, credibility and the right to operate for corporations, nonprofits, foundations and government entities. The report investigates the new expectations that people have — as consumers and advocates — for greater transparency. It offers insights and a roadmap for how organisations can design communications programs that stand out in a crowded landscape and lead in a new age of transparency.

Subsequent reports in the series will explore trends that are shaping the future of social impact work and transforming how people, organisations and systems connect to drive positive change.

INNOVATION TRENDS REPORT SERIES


http://www.webershandwick.com/uploads/news/files/WS-Networked-Smart-Cities-Report.pdf

http://www.webershandwick.com/uploads/news/files/Always-On-Transparency-Report.pdf

In light of the Paris Agreement in December 2015, the Sustainability Affairs team at Prime in Sweden submitted a report emphasising the role of companies in combating climate change — encouraging them to lead and take responsibility. By putting a wider range of sustainable products on the market, companies can stimulate consumer demand and foster a culture of sustainable consumption.

Prime’s Sustainability Affairs team in Sweden has been taking a leadership role, together with clients, in the field of recycling and the transition to a circular economy. On December 2, 2015, the EU Commission adopted the Circular Economy Package — an action plan aiming to “close the loop” through re-use and recycling. On the very same day the Circular Economy package was adopted, Prime brought together Tetra Pak, WWF, KRAV (a Swedish environmental labeling for food) and a professor of packaging logistics, in an article that was published in one of Sweden’s leading environmental news websites Miljöaktuellt. The bio economy was identified as key in achieving circular business models and the article encouraged Åsa Romson, Sweden’s Minister for Climate and the Environment, to use her power to ensure that the loop be closed.

CATCH THE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER, UNLEASH BUSINESS CREATIVITY

RECYCLING AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY


http://primegroup.com/article/fanga-den-hallbara-konsumenten-slapp-naringslivets-kreativitet-los/

http://miljoaktuellt.se/romson-kan-sluta-cirkeln/

How are foundations bringing transparency to their work to solve complex, global challenges? That’s the question that was the focus of a standing-room-only event in June 2015 hosted in Washington, D.C. by Weber Shandwick’s Social Impact team.

Marc Gunther, editor-at-large of The Guardian Sustainable Business U.S. and author of the blog, Nonprofit Chronicles, moderated a discussion with clients including Jeremy Hillman, Director of Corporate Communications at the World Bank; Joanne Krell, former vice president of communications at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; and Allyson Burns, senior vice president of communications and marketing at the Case Foundation.

The conversation was candid, fluid, and interactive, focusing on how organisations are prioritising transparency — and identifying the most meaningful and sustainable ways to report on impact. The consensus of the evening was that while progress has undoubtedly been made toward increased transparency, there is still important ground to be covered. Key takeaways included:

FAIL FORWARD: Be open and honest about missteps and share lessons learned with the broader philanthropic community. Allyson Burns of the Case Foundation spoke frankly about the importance of failure to the overall transparency discussion. She spoke about the contrast between start-ups, which

MEETING THE TRANSPARENCY CHALLENGEoften support a fast-paced, iterative, failure-as-a-positive environment and philanthropic organisations which tend to embrace a more risk averse, slower moving culture. As Burns suggested, perhaps foundations could learn something from the open-source mindset that makes start-ups so successful. The Case Foundation’s #BeFearless campaign, which Weber Shandwick helped launch, is about failing forward (faster) to move on to things that work more effectively.

BRING YOUR STAKEHOLDERS WITH YOU: Include those who support you on your journey. According to Joanne Krell, formerly of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, “shared knowledge is a critical component of social impact and in order to create real change, foundations need to more effectively communicate to core stakeholders.”

IT’S A JOURNEY: Integrating more transparency into day-to-day operations takes time. Jeremy Hillman of the World Bank noted that being more open with your stakeholders is a long and potentially daunting process. It takes significant planning and time to cultivate a transparency mindset within an organisation. In addition to younger donors seeking transparency in reporting, Hillman also noted that increasing pressure from large donors is going to advance the professionalisation of giving.


At Weber Shandwick, we believe gender equality is an emerging driver of company reputation and will only become more powerful in the years to come. We�re proud that 58% of our global leadership team was comprised of women in 2015.

To better understand how companies can open the C-Suite door wider to women and thereby take advantage of the diverse perspectives that female leaders bring to their organisations, Weber Shandwick and KRC Research sponsored a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) titled Gender Equality in the Executive Ranks: A Paradox — The Journey to 2030. The survey was conducted among 327 executives from 55 markets worldwide.

According to the research, nearly three-quarters of global executives (73%) believe that gender equality in the C-Suite will be achieved by 2030. However, most C-level executives (56%) report that their company doesn’t have specific goals in place for achieving such an outcome, and only 39% of C-level executives report gender diversity in senior management as a high business priority, ranking seventh among 10 priorities.

Gender Equality in the Executive Ranks identifies push forces that will move gender equality further up the corporate leadership agenda and pull forces that prevent companies from achieving a gender balance. It also examines the roles of a group of companies and leaders, Gender-Forward Pioneers (GFPs), who are ahead of the curve in making diversity in senior management a reality. The report provides guidelines for achieving gender equality — an actionable framework for building a gender-forward reputation.

GENDER EQUALITY IN THE EXECUTIVE RANKS


http://www.webershandwick.com/uploads/news/files/gender-equality-in-the-executive-ranks-report.pdf

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly convened 193 member states and took an important step in approving new Global Goals for Sustainable Development focused on critical areas: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership.

This ambitious agenda for the next 15 years recognises that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with efforts to build economic growth and address a range of social needs, including tackling climate change.

It’s an agenda that Weber Shandwick is energised to support — and has been supporting — in partnership with our clients, from leading foundations to global corporations. In meeting these new goals, there is a powerful opportunity for cross-sector leadership — to bring financial resources, human capital and innovation to bear on complex social issues.

Weber Shandwick is proud to be supporting more than 150 client assignments focused on the 17 new Global Goals, spanning creative campaigns focused on poverty, hunger, gender equality, economic growth and more. The following case studies spotlight Weber Shandwick’s work to help clients globally shape and deliver standout strategies and creative engagement campaigns to contribute to the success of the Global Goals.

UN GLOBAL GOALS: INVESTING IN WHAT MATTERS

CREATING POSITIVE CHANGE WITH OUR CLIENTS


Gender inequality is one of the most persistent and egregious human rights violations in the world. UN Women’s HeForShe initiative aims to include men and boys in the global movement to make gender equality a reality for all, both as advocates and stakeholders. Weber Shandwick supported UN Women’s goals by leading social media strategy and execution across all HeForShe channels.

Through engaging content aimed largely at a Gen Z and Millennial audience, Weber Shandwick significantly grew the movement’s fans and followers, and fostered consistently high engagement rates in 2015. The firm supported a number of initiatives, including the launch of IMPACT 10x10x10, a program to enlist 10 companies, 10 universities and 10 heads of state as HeForShe champions and a university tour in England and France aimed at engaging students with HeForShe. Weber Shandwick also worked closely with UN Women on a Facebook Live event for International Women’s Day with Emma Watson. The connection between the campaign’s online and offline activity has been integral to its sustainability. The #HeForShe hashtag has become a rallying cry for celebrity influencers and women and men across the world.

ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY FOR ALL THROUGH HEFORSHEUN Women


Weber Shandwick provided strategic communications support for the Global Resilience Partnership, a public-private initiative convened by The Rockefeller Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Weber Shandwick Chairman, Jack Leslie, is Chairman of USAID�s Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid.

The partnership creates new models to address the toughest resilience challenges facing vulnerable populations in regions where the frequency and magnitude of shocks and stresses are already acute and continue to rise: the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.

To build visibility for the partnership, Weber Shandwick worked with the winning teams of the Global Resilience Challenge to tell their stories and share innovative solutions to challenges arising from natural disasters and resource deficiencies. These outreach efforts earned media coverage in key development outlets such as Devex, The Guardian, Take Part and Justmeans. Weber Shandwick also brought attention to the important work of the Global Resilience Partnership on Twitter, creating visually engaging content that garnered 2.5 million impressions and more than 15,000 engagements, growing the community to more than 30,000 followers.

ADVANCING RESILIENCE Global Resilience Partnership


The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) and its America Healing initiative strive to create communities that foster optimal conditions for the development of children. To drive awareness for WKKF’s racial healing goals, Weber Shandwick provides comprehensive storytelling support, leveraging a wide range of communications channels (social, digital, traditional) and creating content driven by current events, important anniversaries and other key moments for the organisation.

This year, the firm helped organise the America Healing Conference “All Children Must Thrive,” where 500 leaders working on racial equity issues gathered to share innovative programs and community practices. The firm also helped launch WKKF’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation initiative, a national movement designed to amplify the national conversation about the impact race has on structural inequities. In each instance, together with the WKKF program and communications team, we sought to leverage the unique challenges at hand to educate, engage and mobilise key audiences.

AMPLIFYING THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON RACIAL HEALING W.K. Kellogg Foundation & America Healing


Weber Shandwick works closely with Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) to develop innovative ways to tell stories that help the company achieve its Better World goals. We weave meaningful metrics and results, employee passion and third party partner voices into stories that are told in visually compelling and shareable ways to deepen connections with Millennial consumers and other key stakeholders.

From helping AB InBev focus attention on its global Better World goals — including the company’s water stewardship, grower-centric SmartBarley program and Global Smart Drinking Goals — to supporting the launch of the Stella Artois “Buy a Lady a Drink” cause partnership with Water.org, we help AB InBev further the company’s dream to be the Best Beer Company Bringing People Together For a Better World.

CHAMPIONING A BETTER WORLD Anheuser-Busch InBev


Arizona State University has long been a leader in the field of sustainability. The university’s president embeds the values of sustainable living into the ethos of the “New American University,” and the University's School of Sustainability was the first comprehensive degree-granting program of its kind in the United States. So when the Rob and Melani Walton Fund at the Walton Family Foundation established the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives (WSSI) through an investment in Arizona State University in 2012, Weber Shandwick was tasked with ensuring that the new organization received visibility and support from priority audiences.

In 2015, Weber Shandwick drove awareness and attention for key Walton initiatives, including: the Global Sustainability Solutions Services (a consultancy that brings together teams of practitioners, professors and students to partner with corporate, nonprofit and NGO clients), the Sustainability Solutions Festival (a week-long event held in conjunction with the GreenBiz Forum), and the Executive Master of Sustainability Leadership degree program. The Weber Shandwick team also increased visibility for the program’s partnership with the city of Phoenix on the Resource Innovation and Solutions Network (RISN), which paved the way for ASU to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 (CE 100) and become one of ten Pioneer Universities innovating on circular economy issues.

INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION OF SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSWalton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives at Arizona State University


Weber Shandwick offers pro bono support as an active member of the United Nations Global Communications Corps, a consortium of the top communications firms with a mission of rallying the world behind the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs). As part of this partnership, we are tasked with encouraging clients and partners to join this important call to action that aims to tackle society’s most pressing issues.

RALLYING THE WORLD BEHIND THE GLOBAL GOALSUnited Nations Communications Corps

In advance of the launch of the Global Goals in September 2015, Weber Shandwick provided strategic communications counsel, having participated in regular planning meetings with the Communications Corps. We also conducted two media trainings to prepare UN Assistant Secretary-General Thomas Gass, one of the leading voices in the Global Goals campaign, for briefings with global press outlets.

In 2015, Weber Shandwick supported United Nations Volunteers to launch its State of the World’s Volunteerism report, which examined the way volunteers help to improve the way people are governed and called on governments to do more to harness volunteers’ unique energies and expertise to promote peace and development.

Weber Shandwick implemented a global communications strategy to introduce the report, led out of its London office in close collaboration with colleagues in New York, Nairobi, New Delhi and Panama City. The team unveiled the global report in June 2015 at UN Headquarters in New York with regional launches in Asia, Africa and Latin America over the following three months. The effort resulted in strong media coverage in top-tier global, regional and national outlets, such as

PROMOTING PEACE, DEVELOPMENT AND GOOD GOVERNANCEUnited Nations Volunteers

USA Today, Reuters, Huffington Post, New York Times, BBC World Service Radio, CNBC Africa, Deutsche Welle Radio, and The Hindu. A social media strategy focused on Twitter influencers in the areas of volunteering and governance secured more than half a million impressions. Weber Shandwick Chairman Jack Leslie also joined United Nations Volunteers Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus in South Sudan to celebrate United Nations Volunteer Day in December 2015. The work helped elevate the profile of United Nations Volunteers and shape positive attitudes toward volunteering.

As a result of volunteer power in Bangladesh an accord requiring independent safety inspections was developed. © Chris McMorrow


The Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) works to maintain clean air in the city and minimise the effects of climate change. Weber Shandwick supported the organisation’s external communications program by telling the story of how EAD is developing adaptive and mitigation strategies for Abu Dhabi’s people, ecosystems and species.

In late 2015, EAD worked through the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme to lead the 2015 Eye On Earth Summit (EoE), which focused on devising strategies for universal access to and the sharing of environmental, social and economic data to better inform decision-making in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Weber Shandwick created a campaign to highlight EoE and EAD’s overlapping initiatives and shared goals through media support and messaging. Ultimately, through EAD’s participation in the summit, Weber Shandwick helped position the United Arab Emirates as a global hub for green economics and sustainable development.

SPOTLIGHTING ABU DHABI’S CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVESEnvironment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD)


In 2014, Unilever helped raise awareness around the issue of child hunger in America with the introduction of its “Share A Meal” program. In 2015, Weber Shandwick raised the bar, setting out to make “Share A Meal” an even more shareable, social-led program that ultimately spurred a nationwide movement around ending child hunger in the United States without the support of any paid media.

Weber Shandwick harnessed the power of 60+ influential voices to create “empty plate selfies” and post them to their social networks with the rallying cry of “we’re donating one million meals, help us donate one million more.” Americans joined the conversation — not only liking, reposting and commenting on the influencer posts, but actively creating and sharing thousands of their own empty plate selfies. The result? The team reached its goal of sharing 1 million meals in just 36 hours. The initiative also doubled engagements from 2014, organically increased @UnileverUSA Instagram followers by 138%, inspired thousands of user-generated images, and altogether achieved more than 350 million program impressions — ultimately providing 1 million more meals to those in need.

SPURRING A NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT TO END CHILD HUNGERUnilever


Weber Shandwick has been the strategic communications partner to the Global Schistosomiasis Alliance (GSA) since its launch in December 2014. Affecting more than 249 million people globally, schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). When combined with proper sanitation and clean water, schistosomiasis could be eliminated entirely.

To date, Weber Shandwick’s work for the GSA has included stakeholder engagement and communications, branding and identity, and the development of a suite of external

Since its inception, the National Education Association (NEA) has worked to improve the quality of teaching and learning in public schools. With more than three million members (the largest union in the U.S.), NEA represents elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers. But NEA is often a scapegoat for problems in the public education system.

In the fall of 2015, NEA engaged Weber Shandwick to deploy a brand reputation campaign that for the first time targeted opinion-leader parents, rather than just their membership

STRIVING FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SCHISTOSOMIASISGlobal Schistosomiasis Alliance (GSA)

SUPPORTING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALLNational Education Association

communications assets for the Alliance. Weber Shandwick has also worked to maximise relevant events within the broader NTDs community, including supporting the GSA’s partnership with Uniting to Combat NTDs on its launch of the third progress report. The team also supported a GSA reception at the Natural History Museum in London for more than 250 delegates.

alone. NEA’s goal was to raise awareness of who they are as an organisation dedicated to great public schools for every student no matter the zip code. Two :30 television spots featuring NEA’s president, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, aired on national cable news networks and across a variety of digital video platforms online, directing target audiences to a campaign landing page that further elaborates on NEA’s mission. To date, the campaign has generated more than 430 million impressions, and plans are in motion to build even deeper engagement in year two of this multiyear initiative.

Schistosomiasis is the biggest killer you’ve probably never heard of. The GSA strives to control and eliminate this disease to free children from a vicious cycle of poverty. www.eliminateschisto.org

The final piece of the puzzle

resulting in

200,000 deaths a year

people worldwide are infected with schistosomiasis

More than

249million>249 m

people have schistosomiasis

with200,000

deaths / year

We must maximise the window of opportunity and strive for elimination

Governments and international

partners must work with us

Merck is donating up to 250m tablets of Praziquantel/year

The solutions are inexpensive and accessible

Good sanitation and clean water stop re-infection

>700m people are at risk

across 78 countries

Reducing infection will empower

the next generation


To announce Budweiser’s partnership with the National Park Foundation (NPF) and showcase its continued commitment to the environment, the Weber Shandwick 3 p.m. team helped launch the brewer’s limited-edition patriotic summer packaging and built excitement around a summer 2015 campaign. The multimillion dollar partnership raises awareness about national parks and the centennial milestone of the National Park Service, which takes place in August 2016.

The 3 p.m. team commissioned famed city streetscape and mobile photographer 13thWitness to unveil the new Statue of Liberty packaging with bold imagery featured in Fast Company. Select media and influencers simultaneously posted 13thWitness imagery to their Instagram accounts. Nationwide media outreach around the announcement was also conducted, resulting in top tier coverage and roughly 15 million media impressions.

The Weber Shandwick 3 p.m. team also assisted with Budweiser’s Monument Concert Series at New York City’s Liberty Landing and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, hosting 16 top-tier music, entertainment, lifestyle media and social influencers for an intimate VIP experience. As part of the overarching strategy, the firm implemented a strategic cadence of news announcements, amplified regional media moments surrounding the concert series, and captured and distributed compelling digital content to help tell Budweiser’s story.

TRANSCENDING A BRAND FOR A BETTER AMERICA Budweiser and the National Park Foundation


Weber Shandwick partnered with DONG Energy, the world leader in offshore wind, to change perceptions of renewable energy and build a positive corporate reputation as the energy company looked to potentially site the first commercial-scale offshore wind farms in the United States.

To raise awareness of the benefits of offshore wind and distinguish DONG Energy from other enterprises that had previously attempted to bring offshore wind to Massachusetts and New Jersey, Weber Shandwick developed a communications strategy underscoring the reliability and necessity of offshore wind as a sustainable energy choice. Through extensive research, Weber Shandwick created a new U.S. brand and identity for the company’s Massachusetts initiative, which is now known as Bay State Wind. A social media initiative was also launched to monitor and engage on social channels on behalf of the company.

Weber Shandwick has also conducted influencer research and mapping, and strategic planning in three additional Northeast states.

TRANSFORMING PERCEPTIONS OF RENEWABLE ENERGYDONG Energy


Weber Shandwick employees are passionate about sharing their expertise to achieve a positive impact on their communities as well as help solve complex global challenges. In 2015, we continued the momentum we first began with our Impact Project in 2013, which encourages offices around the world to engage in pro bono work. This year, our expanding global network used its reach and unrivaled talent to unite around a common goal to “close the opportunity gap” through our Impact Project program.

In fact, Weber Shandwick dedicated 15,385 hours to supporting pro bono efforts in 2015.

THE IMPACT PROJECT To celebrate the important work our employees are doing across the globe, Weber Shandwick’s annual Making an Impact Awards recognise the contributions our colleagues are making through pro bono partnerships and community outreach programs around the world. Weber Shandwick’s pro bono work in 2015 — ranging from gender equality and children’s well-being to disaster relief and disease eradication — heightened our impact to help people around the world lead prosperous lives.


In the spring of 2015, two powerful earthquakes struck Nepal, resulting in nearly 9,000 deaths, 22,400 injuries and devastating countless communities. Recognising that close to 1.7 million children were affected by this disaster, UNICEF mobilised quickly to provide vital humanitarian assistance through the distribution of nutrition supplements, drinking water, hygiene kits and tarpaulins.

S2Publicom Weber Shandwick in Brazil supported UNICEF’s work with an Emergency in Nepal donation campaign, deployed through various digital communications, social engagement and media coverage in top-tier Brazilian press. Thirty Brazilian companies also participated in the UNICEF Emergency in Nepal Campaign, raising more than $224,000 in donations and delivering 512 tons of supplies to Nepalese children.

UNICEF — EMERGENCY IN NEPAL CAMPAIGNBrazil

“S2Publicom Weber Shandwick had a key role in this initiative by creating high-quality communication materials and most importantly, reaching out to thousands of your followers and partners. Thank you very much to all of the S2Publicom Weber Shandwick team.” KARLA PARRA CORRÊA Corporate Alliances Officer of UNICEF Brazil


Weber Shandwick Toronto continued its ongoing partnership with the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) at the annual fundraising event, Bloor Street Entertains. The event takes over high-end stores and restaurants along Toronto’s busy Bloor Street, hosting exclusive dinners with Canada’s top chefs and local celebrities.

Weber Shandwick was on-site to support the CANFAR team and helped drive regional and national awareness to the charity through media and influencer relations, generating coverage in top publications including Hello! Canada, Toronto Sun and Rogers Daytime Television. To date, the Bloor Street event has raised over $5 million for lifesaving HIV and AIDS research.

The Weber Shandwick Detroit Social Impact team held its fifth annual Social Circle program, a partnership with Southfield High School created to expose students from diverse backgrounds to public relations. Social Circle is an after-school club where students form an “agency,” learn about the practice of public relations and develop a campaign for an actual client.

In 2015, Social Circle students developed a teen-centric campaign for Safe Kids Oakland County, an affiliate chapter of Washington, D.C.-based Safe Kids Worldwide. Students were tasked with producing an advocacy campaign on “Distracted Walking,” targeting teens and preventing texting and walking. The students developed the #Textyalater concept and video campaign for YouTube, Instagram and Vine. With support from Weber Shandwick, the students wrote the script, the storyboard and starred in the video promoting safe texting behaviour.

THE CANADIAN FOUNDATION FOR AIDS RESEARCH (CANFAR)Canada

SOCIAL CIRCLE—SOUTHFIELD HIGH SCHOOLDetroit


MERCY Malaysia is a nonprofit organisation that provides medical and humanitarian relief to vulnerable communities around the world, many of which have been impacted by crisis. To raise funds and drive awareness, MERCY Malaysia hosts an annual International Humanitarian Run and in 2015, the organisation launched its first online campaign with the hashtag #myMERCYrun.

Weber Shandwick established a sustainable media presence for the run and increased public awareness of the organization through a “plank challenge.” Participants in the challenge were encouraged to submit photos and videos of their most

Benefacto specialises in matching large organisations full of willing volunteers with small charities in urgent need of assistance. In order to strengthen volunteerism among its employees, Weber Shandwick London partnered with Benefacto to launch a company-wide volunteer initiative involving a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, ranging from helping prepare meals in a homeless shelter to assisting older people with staying current through a technology workshop. Some London colleagues also helped run a CV drop-in center for those looking for work.

CHARITY RUN FOR GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN AID Kuala Lumpur

BENEFACTO VOLUNTEER DRIVELondon

creative plank poses through social media, and winners were announced on race day. The team also worked with various media outlets to provide a platform for celebrity advocates to show their support for the charity run and plank challenge. As a result, MERCY Malaysia successfully built excitement around the second #myMERCYrun, increased fundraising revenue and raised awareness of their humanitarian activities, both internationally and locally.

The initiative, launched with a one-day event, witnessed 20 people from across the office participate in four different projects and has since offered monthly opportunities to get involved with the local community.


Mexico’s legal sector has one of the worst male to female partner ratios in Latin America — only one in ten partners at the country’s largest law firms are women. To help circumvent gender inequality in the legal profession, Abogadas MX seeks to promote women’s representation in the legal profession by raising awareness of prejudices and providing women with the tools to fight them.

Weber Shandwick Mexico supported Abogadas MX programs in 2015, increasing awareness about diversity in the workplace through partnerships, media interviews and engagement with

Wellspring Family Services is a nonprofit social services organisation dedicated to helping vulnerable families and children in the Seattle area triumph over trauma such as homelessness, domestic violence and poverty. In 2015, Weber Shandwick partnered with Wellspring during the expansion of its Early Learning Center (ELC) to drive donations, increase awareness and inspire engagement with the center.

Weber Shandwick created a video for Wellspring that was shown at a community celebration for the ELC opening, which was attended by more than 100 local influencers, including Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle city council member Tim Burgess. The video was both educational and inspirational,

ABOGADAS MX Mexico

WELLSPRING FAMILY SERVICES: A FOCUS ON EARLY LEARNING Seattle

key opinion leaders. The firm also presented its research Gender Equality in the Executive Ranks: A Paradox — The Journey to 2030 during Abogadas MX’s Annual Leadership & Professional Development Workshop. Abogadas MX and Weber Shandwick’s work together aims to contribute to an actionable framework for building a gender-forward society in Mexico.

conveying hope, rather than dwelling on negativity. Having this video as a storytelling tool allows the organization to share the impact of the ELC in a powerful, concise and compelling way.

“On behalf of Wellspring Family Services staff, clients and volunteers, we are deeply grateful for the support of Weber Shandwick Seattle. The opportunity to partner with such a talented team of strategists has increased visibility and engagement for our mission in the community to help more children and families in crisis triumph over trauma and thrive.”RUTHANN HOWELL President and CEO of Wellspring Family Services


https://vimeo.com/120024536

To generate awareness and support immediately following the ratification of the United Nations’ new Global Goals for Sustainable Development, Weber Shandwick Singapore partnered with the Global Goals campaign in Southeast Asia. The campaign set an ambitious objective: to reach seven billion people in seven days with news of the UN’s 17 Global Goals. The campaign’s rationale was that if the goals became “famous,” then chances for implementing the goals increase greatly.

What if you could help someone recover something profoundly important to them — their cherished memories? That was the central question behind an activation conducted by the Alzheimer’s Foundation in Spain on World Alzheimer’s Day. To raise awareness of the disease and recruit new volunteers to support Alzheimer’s patients, the foundation partnered with Weber Shandwick and McCann Madrid to recreate the experience that sufferers face every day: losing and finding one’s memories.

Weber Shandwick and McCann Madrid videotaped newly diagnosed patients recounting their special memories, and uploaded the videos onto USB memory sticks. Those USBs were taken all over Madrid and “lost,” placed in various

UN GLOBAL GOALS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA Singapore

THE ALZHEIMER’S FOUNDATION SPAIN BLANKETS MADRID WITH LOST “MEMORIES”Spain

To support this important mission and drive awareness of the UN’s impressive agenda, Weber Shandwick Singapore offered strategic counsel to reach target audiences in Southeast Asia. The team also provided media relations support to drive message penetration.

locations throughout the city. Each USB contained directions, asking the finder of the USB to view the video, and then return the USB to the owner’s address, which was the Foundation’s office. Within 48 hours of the of the USBs’ initial deployment, almost one-third of them were returned. In just two days, the Foundation garnered nearly 150 news stories and reached nearly 1 million viewers, including coverage by the top three national TV shows and top 10 Spanish radio stations.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oTReISjjyg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oTReISjjyg

Girls in Burkina Faso consistently miss school due to menstruation, a taboo subject in the West African nation. Hygiene products are not only hard to find but expensive to buy. As part of their work to support gender equality and commitment to girls’ education, Swedish women’s rights organisation Yennenga Progress distributes menstrual cups to schools, teachers and their students in the African region.

In 2015, Prime supported Yennenga Progress for a Mother’s Day campaign where Swedes were invited to join the NGO’s mission by giving an unusual gift: The Menstrual Cup Cup — created, launched and distributed by Prime. The firm engaged a target group of young, digital-savvy women — including major lifestyle bloggers and leading feminists — to spread the news about the initiative through their social networks. With their support, sales of The Menstrual Cup Cup exceeded goals by 500%, and 40 % of Swedish women age 18–30 are now aware of how they can support a girl’s education in Burkina Faso. Due to popular demand, The Menstrual Cup Cup was sold again for Father’s Day, becoming a permanent initiative supporting Yennenga Progress.

THE MENSTRUAL CUP CUPSweden


http://www.yennengaprogress.se/butik/

2015 AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

The Holmes Report, Global Agency of the Year

Advertising Age, Agency A-List (second consecutive year)

PRWeek, Global Agency of the Year

PRWeek, U.S. PR Agency of the Year and Large Agency of the Year

U.K. Business Superbrand (ninth consecutive year)

PR News, CSR A-List Agency (fourth consecutive year)

PRISM Awards, PR Consultancy of the Year — Singapore

The Holmes Report, North America PR Agency and Large Agency of the Year

Mumbrella, Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia PR Agency of the Year

Mumbrella, APAC PR Agency Network of the Year (second consecutive year)

Marketing Magazine, Agency of the Year — Hong Kong (third time in 5 years)

The Holmes Report, Greater China Consultancy of the Year

PRWeek, Asia Pacific Network of the Year

International Business Awards, PR Agency of the Year

The Gold Standard Awards, APAC Regional Network of the Year

ICCO Global Awards, APAC Regional Network of the Year

Campaign Asia, Greater China Consultancy of the Year

Mega TOP 10 Brazil, Communications Agency of the Year

Comunique-se Awards, Communications Agency of the Year — Brazil

PR News, CSR Awards, Cause Branding Campaign, Yum! World Hunger Relief

PR News, Nonprofit Awards, Social Responsibility, Yum! World Hunger Relief

Bulldog, CSR Awards, CSR Communications Campaign of the Year, Yum! World Hunger Relief

The Holmes Report, Gold SABRE, Corporate Social Responsibility, PEDIGREE See What Good Food Can Do

Silver Anvil Awards, Silver Level Winner, Nonprofit Organisations, United Nations Foundation and 92nd Street Y

AGENCY AWARDS

CSR/NONPROFIT CAMPAIGN AWARDS


For more information contact [email protected]

PB2015 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP REPORT

2015 weber shandwick corporate citizenship report

Government & Nonprofit